9 months old

It's hard to believe that Liam is 9 months old aready! We went to the doctor yesterday for his 9 month check up. He was 17 pounds 4 ounces (10th percentile), 27.5 inches (25-50th percentile), and his head circumference was 18 inches (50th percentile). Everything looked great! She's pleased with his growth; he's just a little guy. He's moving right along with his milestones too. The beginning of this month he learned how to cruise along the furniture. Standing and cruising are his favorite things to do! He will hardly touch his toys anymore because all he wants to do is stand and walk. We got him a little walker toy, and he can do some wobbly walking on his own with that.

At the end of October my parents came through to see "us" (we all know they came to see Liam) on their way to Myrtle Beach where they were celebrating their 30 year anniversary! They babysat Liam while Shawn and I worked. They LOVED it. I couldn't believe it, but my dad even changed Liam's poopy diaper, picked out his clothes, and got him ready for the day all by himself while my mom slept in after taking the night shift! He sure does love his grandson. After they went on to Myrtle Beach, Liam and I made the 2 hour trip to stay overnight with them midweek. Liam enjoyed a trip to the IMAX theater to watch an Under The Sea movie. He really did quite well and only got scared once and cried a little. But other than that he sat through the entire 45 minute movie quietly. We also went out to dinner at PF Changs and enjoyed a nice walk on the beach. My parents also came through on their way home and watched Liam again while Shawn and I worked on Halloween night. I wish I had a lot to report about Halloween; however, since we both had to work we were unable to celebrate it with Liam. Oh, well there's always next year when he'll actually be able to walk and possibly enjoy it some.

We're all looking forward to a trip to Indy the beginning of next month! We'll be in town December 4-9. We'll be celebrating Ethan's first birthday, hopefully seeing family in Chicago, and celebrating Christmas early with my parents and Joel and Tiffany. We absolutely cannot wait!

Moving along!

Wow! Liam is on the move!! In the past two weeks Liam has gone from not even being able to get up on his hands and knees to being able to crawl a little and walk with help! He also has learned how to pull himself up to standing and how to sit up from a laying position. It is just amazing to see the change! He still prefers the "army crawling" but he has done the "real crawl" a couple times. Liam also went to the doctor for a weight check. At two days shy of 8 months he was 16 pounds 4 ounces. This is only the 10th percentile, but he is up from the 3rd, so the doctor is pleased. We go back the beginning of November for his 9 month checkup. Below are some videos showing his newfound movement, enjoy! (go to www.mayle.smugmug.com to enjoy several more videos!)

Visit with Mimi and Bubba

Shawn's parents (Mimi and Bubba to Liam) came for a visit September 25- October 4. It was an awesome visit! They had not seen Liam since June! Needless to say, he had changed quite a bit- and he continued to while they were here! The first full day of their visit Liam got up onto his hands and knees for the first time. We were hoping this would progress to a crawl during their visit, but nope- oh well. We enjoyed wonderful weather during their visit- mid 70's to 80's with clear skies! Bubba spent a lot of time at the pool and Liam joined him too! We also had an outing to Sullivan's Island (Liam's first trip to the beach). We were able to get some wonderful family photos. Then we went to Poe's Tavern, one of our favorite local spots, and Liam charmed the waitress and other patrons as usual. We had a wonderful time and can't wait til the next time!

I spoke too soon!

Well last night I mentioned how Liam was still toothless. Well that changed today! Both of Liam's bottom two teeth started poking through today! I felt his gums this morning and looked- nothing. Then this afternoon he was jumping in his jumperoo and I could see his gums- and something looked different. Go figure, I touch it with my finger and I could feel TWO teeth poking through! How fun! Guess that explains the runny nose, excessive drooling, and crankiness of the past two weeks :)

September so far

Well there's really not a whole lot of new stuff going on. Things are still going well with Liam. This last week was a little rough on all of us. Liam had the sniffles (still does a little) and was quite needy and fussy for a few days. Then all of the sudden last Thursday I got sick and am just now better. I even missed work all weekend. I don't think I've ever missed work for being sick, let alone for three days in a row. I guess it was some sort of nasty cold. Shawn got it a little too, but thankfully not as bad as myself. Liam just enjoyed lounging around with me watching the start of the NFL season and the US Open!

Liam is still learning a lot. He now is able to communicate with us a little better. When he wants to be picked up or snuggled with he reaches out towards the person he wants attention from. This is so sweet and melts your heart! If you don't get him soon enough he'll just throw himself onto your lap if you're sitting next to him! The evening is now his favorite time of day to play. He loves to give kisses. He also loves getting kisses and usually ends up laughing histerically. It's really quite fun! He's still toothless and is not crawling. These are two big milestones we're anxiously awaiting. He is not on all fours yet, but he does pull his knees up under him (especially this week). We did discover though, that he can stand by himself while holding onto the coffee table. He's not pulling himself up yet, but he can stand after we put him up. 

 

We're looking forward to next week when John and Pam (Shawn's parent's) come to spend 9 days with us! They haven't seen Liam since June so they will have an absolute ball! He has changed so much and can interact so well now. 

Way too long!

Sorry it has been over a month since the last post... I guess I've been kind of busy. Things are still going great with Liam! He is such a bundle of joy. He's at a great age and his personality is really coming out. He's such a happy little guy! The month of August has been wonderful. We've done a lot this month. Liam got a visit from his Uncle Curt, Aunt Melissa, and Melissa's mom. 

Shawn went to Honduras on a missions trip with our church the 3rd through 11th. My mom came down while he was gone to help out with Liam. While she was here, Liam sucked on his toes for the first time. We also went to the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston for the first time. He really loved it! He really loved visiting with grandma too! 

After Shawn got home, we took Liam in for his 6 month check-up. He was 14 pounds, 5 ounces (3-10th percentile), 26 inches (50th percentile), and his head circumference was 17 1/4 inches (50th percentile). The doctor was ever so slightly concerned about his weight. He had been in the 10-25 percentile and dropped down to the 3-10 percentile. So we are going back for a weight check the beginning of October. However, Liam is almost the EXACT same size I (Angie) was when I was six months old. I was 14 pounds, 3 ounces and 26 1/4 inches. We're just going to make sure Liam is still gaining weight. It certainly isn't an eating problem, because this boy LOVES his food and milk. 

Another big development was Liam learning how to sit up on his own! It's amazing how quickly he learned and how quickly he got better at it. Now he can sit up on his own for quite a while! He's even trying to pull himself up to sit on his own. He's just not quite there yet. Next thing we

know this kid will be crawling around the house and pulling himself up. He's already standing up on his own with very little help from us! 

Lots going on

Well a lot has happened since the last post. We did take our trip to Indianapolis, but it turned out differently than we planned. My grandmother Hope passed away the morning we were to leave, Monday, July 6. She had been sick for quite some time. On July 7, 1999 she had a stroke and then went on to have another large one. At that time the doctors told us she was going to die. My aunt and uncle even flew home from the Philippines for the funeral. However, God had other plans. She lived one day short of ten years since the first stroke. It was a bit of a shock, as she had not been really going downhill. Regardless, we are saddened but rejoice that she is no longer suffering. The viewing was Wednesday and the funeral Thursday. It was a wonderful service, and it highlighted my grandma's extraordinary life. Just a few neat things: she played collegiate basketball and semi-pro softball and her and my grandfather taught in Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. My grandfather, Leroy, is coping well. It was a little difficult at first as my grandma passed away right in front of him, but he seems to have turned a corner and is doing better. Pray for him. His past ten years were spent caring for my grandmother 24-7. He was a wonderful example of what commitment in marriage is! 

 

On a lighter note, our trip was still wonderful. We ended up staying in Indy through Saturday. It was wonderful! Liam was able to meet so many friends and family. He met all of his great-grandparents, his Uncle Joel and Aunt Tiffany, my dad's side of the family, "Uncle" Jonathan and "Aunt" Kristen and "best friend" Ethan, Michele and Abby, Leah, and he got to see his Uncle Curt and grandma and grandpa Rapp again! It was a busy week, but we had a great time!

 

Since coming home from Indy, Liam has started solid foods. Monday we started him on rice cereal. The first feeding did not go so smoothly (at all), but the next day he was eating like a champ- opening his mouth when the spoon came and even grabbing for the spoon wanting to feed himself. Thursday, we introduced carrots. He has ended up liking them, but at first he wasn't quite sure what to think and made some pretty funny faces. It's amazing how much he's growing up, but really, I'm enjoying every minute of it! It's so much fun to see him learn new things!